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What would George Orwell, author of the decidedly pessimistic book, 1984, have to say about the development of GPS technology, especially in light of more recent applications? He’d probably shake his head, roll over in his grave, and go back to sleep.

GPS stands for Global Positioning System, something most of us are familiar with. It’s based on a network of satellites encircling the globe that originally allowed for the military to carry out super-targeted operations. The last five years have seen the onslaught of portable civilian units that speak to us in our cars in various tones of voice to remind us how far off track we’ve wandered.

Even more recent development has combined GPS and wireless network (think cellular phones) technology to allow businesses, governments, and individuals the power to track people and things in real time. The makers of a device called DriveSync suggest parents install it on cars driven by their teenagers to monitor location or even aggressive driving behavior.

And Disney Mobile has spent millions advertising the fact that paranoid parents can track their kids via their network’s cell phones.

Society has a big question to answer. If kids grow up with their every move being tracked, will they come to look at this invasion of privacy as normal, and welcome Mr. Orwell’s foreboding future with open arms?